New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-23
NEW PUBLICATIONS
MAJOR POORE'S BOOK.

ShT THE NATIONAL METROPOLIS. BY nES: rEsL :H
pooxE Vol. II. $40. PIP. 5a3 Philadelphia: Hub
bard Brothers.
Tho seconl aud concluding volume of Major
poores work covers tho oventful period of the past
%birtv ysars-the last days of Mr.. Buchanan's
no iscoy eminent the coming of the Republican par
~ to power the war; reconstruction. impeachment,
tho remarkab able Incidents of General Grants fresl-
dency, the disputed election OF 1876 the ass"ssi-
nation of two Presidents stormy contests Will III
tho Republican party. the third term movement,
and succession OF social events moro brilliant II
not more agreeable than the capital had ever oe1or"
witnessed Il was impossible to DO justice 10 80
much in q single volume: and IL is propaoiy ow'nE
to the multiplicity OF his subject that tnc a"'no
has passed over the whole rather lightly. IL can not
he said that his second volume 10 as interesting as
,be frat II tells MS little Of the secret history OF
.aors. IL is needlessly minute in the DESCRIPTION
f official an ertanments; and it suffers also from
the fact TINT the personages mentioned IN IL are all
near our own time and that their principai actiohs
are part OF familiar history Now ana theh MaJor
Poore is betrayed into repeating SORT Oh personal
gossip which never Ought to be printer, ana MS
references to individuals arc sometimes unkind.
Much of what he says about Mrs. Lincoln, for IN
stance. might we'll have been omitted lie seems 10
have had an antipathy toward Senator wade anu
Seer, tary Seward. and, strange to say, he Is nm
friendly to the memory of President Garfield. His
mistakes, however may fairly be set down as the
occasional vagaies of man of easy temperanent
who in spite of sOIne prejudices, is generally quick
to see good points, and ready to praise cordially
the fine qualities of his political opponents in
saving that the first volume is better than tho
second, we are far from meaning to imply 'hat INC
second is dull 1t contains great deal OF enter
IMMINENT and some of it is extremely lively. Inc
scene at Andrew JOhnsOn's inauguration as vice.
President is described with convincing particu-
Iarity. apparently upon the testimony oil wee
President Hamlin; and as there is still question
from time to time whether Mr.. johnson was drunk
OF not OH that occasion. the narrative may DO we'll
worth quoting. When MI. Johnson arrived at the
Vice presidents room in the Capitol, before the
ceremonies there was nothing unusual in his ap-
pearance except that he did not seem to bc In robust
health. He asked Mr.. flamlin for liquor, saying
that he was sick and nervous bottle oil brandy
was brought from the Senate restaurant, and Mt.
johnson poured ont and drank two-thrds OF a tum-
birr If which performance Mr.. Hamln remarked
aiterw ard that If johnson was in the habit OF
taking such drinks he could stand a great deal
After the procession had started for the senate
Chamber Mr.. johnson, asking Mr.. Hamlin " 10 eA-
cnse him for moment" went back to the bottle
and took another drink rs large as the hrst. Inc
mauiln speech followed.
The war-sketches are rather slight, but they in
clude some striking pictures. Here is an account
of some of the Washington women who busted
themselves sending aid and Information To the
Confederates, OF even acting as spies, ladies oil
family and fashion the most Jealous III Listen
ing for secrets, stealing maps and documents, and
smuggl;ng new in the Innings of coats and the
puts OF crinOllne:
Mrs Rose o. Fl. Greenhow was the most adroit of
the Confederate em,ssarles. The sister OF Mrs.
Cutts, mother of Mrs. Douglas, and Inc widow OF
n clerk I'D the State Department, who had written
u valuable work ON Oregon, her social position gave
her remarkable facilities for obtaining information;
Just before the battle of Bull Run she contrlved
TO convey to the enemy news obtained from New
England Senator with regard to he intended move
msn's of hs Ssnaed the Sae In return se
received this dispatch from the Confederate Attor-
ne ' General: Our President and onr General dl-
rect me to thank yen. We rely upon you for fur
d debt '"'0''"''''"' 40 ~
Mrs. Greenhows house was finally used as
prison for female spies The windows looking on
the street were boarded up, and special military
guari occupied tents pitched IN the garden Mrs
d ana ser fhen here WAS Mrs. Philips
daughter of J. Z. Levy of Charleston ;. e., where
she married Philip Phillips who aiterward removed
to Mobile and was elected there TO the AAAlIld
Congress. Declining q reelection he remained at
Washington City, where he had a lucrative practice
be,or. the Supreme Cont Mrs. Phillips, although
the mother Of nine chi dren. found time to oh, ain
and transmit information TO General Beanregari.
and after having been closely guar led Tor while;
that of her father that she woula not give aid or
comfort to the enemy" .
Mrs Levy, and other lady prisoners had all been
moro OF less prominent III Southern society at
Washington. and had made trips over the under
mond. Also an english lady. Mr.. ELENA Low. who
had been arrested at Boston, with her son, who had
feIerate ARMY. Miss +. NJ Poole. alias Stewart,
had been very successful in carrying contrab anu
information and funds between the two camps and
when arrested the last time there was found
concealed on her person $1,000 OF uneXpended
funds.
The recent publications by General Badeau on
the relations of Grant and Sumner givo especial
pertinency to the following episode of the San
Domingo difficulty. The evening before the treaty
was sent to the Senate. General Grant called at
Summers house and found the Senator at dinner
with John W. Forpey and Major Poore. The
President joined the party at table:
After some preliminary conversation, General
Grant began to talk about San Domingo, but he did
him. He dwelt especa lily upon the expenditures
of General BabcOck at San Domingo of Il large sum
taken from secret serves fund Tor promoting IN
tercourse with the West India Islands, which Mr.
Sow ard when Secretary of State had prevailed on
Representative rhad Stevens to have inserted in an
appropriation bill during the war The PRESIDENT
impressed Mr.. Sumner with the idea that he looked
for an attack in Congress On the manner in which
much of that money had been spent. Mr.. Sumner
unuuestionably thought that General Grant had
come TO enlist his services in defending the expen-
diture by General Babcock of 500, 900 in cash, and
$50 900 for a light battery purchased at New-York
The President meant, as Colonel Forney and the
writer thought, the treaty for the acquisti6? of
the Dominican Republic. The President and the
Senator misunderstood each other After awhile
General Grant promised to send General Babcock
to the Senator the next day with copies OF the
papers, and thcn left While escorting the Presi-
dent 10 the door, Mr.. Sumner assured him that he
was Republican and supporter of the Republi-
can Administration. and that he should sustain the
after he had examined the papers He meant the
o. penditure of General BabcOck. but the President
meant tho treaty.
The next morning General Babcock called on
Senator Sumner with q copy of the treaty. which
he begun to read but he had not gotten beyond the
preamble, in which Babcock was ST lied aide-de-
camp of His Excellencv General Ulysses s. Grant"